Research Notes

Below are the research notes that can be found by investigating Ruins.

Agricultural Notes

 * Unique name: 

 ENCRYPTION LEVEL: THREE 

[Voice Recognition Initialized]

[Subject Identified: B577]

[LOG BEGINS]

Geneticist: We've engineered crops to be rotated as needed depending on environmental situation. While a variety of plants would be ideal to supplement any remaining nutritional needs, any one of our designs would be enough to sustain a colony indefinitely without adverse effects on physical health.

Geneticist: Some environmental survival issues still remain. Differing temperatures, light availability and last pass changes to nutrient levels take top priority, particularly for food and oxygen producing plants.

[LOG ENDS]

[Log fragmentation detected]

[Voice Recognition unavailable]

[LOG BEGINS]

...Selected in response to concerns about colony psychological well-being.

While design should focus on attributing mood-enhancing effects to natural Briar pheromone emissions, the project has been moved to the lowest priority level beneath more life-sustaining designs...

[LOG ENDS]

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[Voice Recognition unavailable]

[LOG BEGINS]

...It is yet unknown if we can surmount the obstacles that stand in the way of engineering a root capable of reproduction in the more uninhabitable situations we anticipate for our colonies, or whether it is even worth the effort...

[LOG ENDS]

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[Voice Recognition unavailable]

[LOG BEGINS]

...The Mealwood's hardiness will make it a potential contingency crop should Bristle Blossoms be unable to sustain sizable populations.

If pursued, design should focus on longterm viability and solving the psychological repercussions of prolonged Mealwood grain ingestion...

[LOG ENDS]

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[Voice Recognition unavailable]

[LOG BEGINS]

...The Thimble Reed will be used as a contingency for textile production in the event that printed materials not be sufficient.

Design should focus on the yield frequency of the plant, as well as... erm... softness.

[LOG ENDS]

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[Voice Recognition unavailable]

[LOG BEGINS]

...Balm Lily is a reliable all-purpose medicinal plant.

Very little need be altered, save for assurances that it will survive wherever it may be planted...

[LOG ENDS]

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[Voice Recognition unavailable]

[LOG BEGINS]

...The gene sequences within the common Dusk Cap allow it to grow in low light environments.

These genes should be sampled, with the hope that we can splice them into other plant designs....

[LOG ENDS]

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Initial Success

 * Unique name: 

 ENCRYPTION LEVEL: TWO 

[Voice Recognition Initialized]

[Subject Identified: B111]

[LOG BEGINS]

[A throat clears.]

B111: We are now reliably printing healthy, living subjects, though all have exhibited unusual qualities as a result of the cloning process.

[Squeaking sounds can be heard.]

B111: Unusual vocalizations, benign growths, and missing appendages have been seen in all subjects thus far, to varying degrees of severity. It seems that bypassing or accelerating juvenility halts certain critical stages of development. Brain function, however, appears typical.

[Squeaking.]

B111: T-They also seem quite happy.

B111: Dr. Broussard, signing off.

[LOG ENDS]

Biofluid

 * Unique name: 

 ENCRYPTION LEVEL: TWO 

[LOG BEGINS]

The Printing Pod is primed by a synthesized bio-organic concoction the technicians have taken to calling "Ooze", a specialized mixture composed of water, carbon, and dozens upon dozens of the trace elements necessary for the creation of life.

The pod reconstitutes these elements into a living organism using the blueprints we feed it, before finally administering a shock of life.

It is like any other 3D printer. We just use different ink.

Dr. Broussard, signing off.

[LOG ENDS]

Experiment 7D

 * Unique name: 

 ENCRYPTION LEVEL: TWO 

EXPERIMENT 7D

Security Code: B111

Subject: #762, "Hibiscus-3"

Adult female, 42cm, 257g

Donor: #650, "Hibiscus"

Adult female, 42cm, 257g

Hypothesis: Subjects cloned from Hibiscus will correctly operate a lever apparatus when introduced, demonstrating retention of original donor's conditioned memories.

Donor subject #650, "Hibiscus", conditioned to pull a lever to the right for a reward (almonds). Conditioning took place over a period of two weeks.

Hibiscus quickly learned that pulling the lever to the left produced no results, and was reliably demonstrating the desired behavior by the end of the first week.

Training continued for one additional week to strengthen neural pathways and ensure the intended behavioral conditioning was committed to long term and muscle memory.

Cloning subject #762, "Hibiscus-3", was introduced to the lever apparatus to ascertain memory retention and recall.

Hibiscus-3 showed no signs of recognition and did not perform the desired behavior. Subject initially failed to interact with the apparatus on any level.

On second introduction, Hibiscus-3 pulled the lever to the left.

Conclusion: Printed subject retains no memory from donor.

Husbandry Notes

 * Unique name: 

 ENCRYPTION LEVEL: THREE 

[Log Fragmentation Detected]

[Voice Recognition Unavailable]

[LOG BEGINS]

...The Hatch has been selected for development due to its naturally wide range of potential food sources.

Energy production is our primary goal, but augmentation to allow for the consumption of non-organic materials is a more attainable first step, and will have additional uses for waste disposal...

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[LOG BEGINS]

...The Morb has been selected for development based on its ability to perform a multitude of the waste breakdown functions typical for a healthy ecosystem.

Design should focus on eliminating the disease risks posed by a fully matured Morb specimen...

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[LOG BEGINS]

...The Puft may be suited for serving a sustainable decontamination role.

Potential design must focus on the efficiency of these processes...

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[LOG BEGINS]

...Wheezeworts are an ideal selection due to their low nutrient requirements and natural terraforming capabilities.

Design of these creatures should focus on enhancing their natural influence on ambient temperatures...

[LOG ENDS]

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[LOG BEGINS]

...The preliminary Hatch gene splices were successful.

The prolific mucus excretions that are typical of the species are now producing hydrocarbons at an incredible pace.

The creature has essentially become a free source of burnable oil...

[LOG ENDS]

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[LOG BEGINS]

...Bioluminescence is always a novelty, but little time should be spent on perfecting these insects from here on out.

The project has more pressing concerns than light sources, particularly now that the low light vegetation issue has been solved...

[LOG ENDS]

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[Voice Recognition Initialized]

[Subject Identified: B363]

[LOG BEGINS]

Geneticist: The primary concern raised by this project is the variability of environments that colonies may be forced to deal with. The creatures we send with the settlement party will not have the time to evolve and adapt to a new environment, yet each creature has been chosen to play a vital role in colony sustainability and is thus too precious to risk loss.

Geneticist: It follows that each organism we design must be equipped with the tools to survive in as many volatile environments as we are capable of planning for. We should not rely on the Pod alone to replenish creature populations.

[LOG ENDS]

Memory Dysfunction Log

 * Unique name: 

 ENCRYPTION LEVEL: TWO 

[LOG BEGINS]

Traditionally, cloning produces a subject that is genetically identical to the donor but develops independently, producing a being that is, in its own way, unique.

The pod, conversely, attempts to print an exact atomic copy. Theoretically all neural pathways should be intact and identical to the original subject.

It's fascinating, given this, that memories are not already inherent in our subjects; however, no cloned subjects as of yet have shown any signs of recognition when introduced to familiar stimuli, such as the donor subject's enclosure.

Refer to Experiment 7D.

Refer to Experiment 7F.

Memories must be embedded within the physical brainmaps of our subjects. The only question remains how to activate them. Hormones? Chemical supplements? Situational triggers?

The Director seems eager to move past this problem, and I am concerned at her willingness to bypass essential stages of the research development process.

We cannot move on to the fine polish of printing systems until the core processes have been perfected - which they have not.

Dr. Broussard, signing off.

[LOG ENDS]

A Paradox
ENCRYPTION LEVEL: THREE

[Voice Recognition Initialized] [Subject Identified: ]

[LOG BEGINS]

I made a horrible discovery today while reviewing work on the artificial intelligence programming. It seems Dr. Ali mixed up a file when uploading a program onto a rudimentary robot and discovered that the device displayed the characteristics of what he called "a puppy that was lost in a teleportation experiment weeks ago".

This unbelievable! has been hiding the nature of the teleportation experiments from me. What's worse is I know from previous conversations that she knows I would never approve of pursuing this line of experimentation. The societal benefits of teleportation aside, you cannot kill a living being every time you want to send them to another room. The moral and ethical implications of this are horrendous.

I know she has been keeping this information from me. When I searched through the Gravitas database I found nothing to do with these teleportation experiments. It was only because this reference showed up in Dr. Ali's AI paper that I was able to discover what has been happening.

Jackie has to be stopped.

But I know she is beyond reasonable discussion. I hope this is the only thing she is hiding from me, but I fear it is not.

[LOG ENDS]

[LOG BEGINS]

Despite myself, I can't help thinking of the intriguing possibilities this presents for the AI development. It haunts me.

I fear I may be sliding down a slippery slope, at the bottom of which Jackie is waiting for me with open arms.

[LOG ENDS]

Memory Breakthrough
ENCRYPTION LEVEL: THREE

[Voice Recognition Initialized] [Subject Identified: ]

[LOG BEGINS]

Dr. Techna's newest notes on Duplicant memories have revealed some interesting discoveries. It seems memories can be transferred to the cloned subject but it requires the host to be subjected to a machine that performs extremely detailed microanalysis. This in depth dissection of the subject would produce the results we need but at the expense of destroying the host.

Of course this is not ideal for our current situation. The time and energy it took to recruit Gravitas’ highly trained staff would be wasted if we were to extirpate these people for the sake of experimentation. But perhaps we can use our Duplicants as experimental subjects until we perfect the process and look into finding volunteers for the future in order to obtain an ideal specimen. I will have to discuss this with Dr. Techna but I'm sure he would be enthusiastic about such an opportunity to continue his work.

I am also very interested in the commercial opportunities this presents. Off the top of my head I can think of applications in genetics, AI development, and teleportation technology. This could be a significant financial windfall for the company.

[LOG ENDS]